Dominion
by Happyritas
Summary: Algol Caelum Forest loved six people on this Earth. His brothers, Castor and Pollux; his guardians, May Parker, Sarah and Dorri Jenn; and his boyfriend, Peter Parker. He loved six people on this earth, and was cursed to watch each of these things dust outside of his fragile dominion.
1. - 0 -

Algol Caelum Forest loved six people on this Earth.

Algol loved his brothers Castor and Pollux, they were his everything and he swore to protect them.

Algol loved his adoptive guardians, Sarah and Dorri Jenn, and May Parker. Each woman sacrificed a part of their lives in order to fit him in; a debt he would never be able to repay.

Algol loved Peter Parker. He was silly, annoying, and awfully persistent. Yet, he also had the brightest smile and the kindest laughter that always knew how to make Caelum melt on the spot.

Algol Caelum Forest loved a few things on this Earth and he was cursed to watch each of these things dust outside of his fragile dominion.

° · ° · ° · ° · ° · ° · ° · ° · ° · ° · ° · ° · ° · ° · ° · ° · ° · °

I do not own Spider-Man, but I do own Caelum and his personal story.

Trigger warning, sexual abuse, physical abuse, neglect, graphic descriptions, gore, and death. If you are sensitive to these topics, then I highly advise you not to read.


	2. - 1 -

**chapter one:**

"Okay, well," Peter Parker squinted at the paper despite having 20/20 vision. "What about. . . _la_ _balle_ _. . ._ _bl_ _―_ _bleue_ _a_ _sauté_ _joy-_ _usement_?"

" _Joyeusement_ ," Caelum Forest replied, not looking up at him as he scribbled down answers for his Russian homework.

" _Joyeusement_ ," Peter corrected himself, hanging out of his chair. _"_ _Il_ _a_ _roulé_ _dans_ _la rue_."

" _Mhm_ ," Caelum agreed, despite the pronunciation being a bit wonky.

"This is baby stuff," Peter complained.

"Do you want to read my copy of _The Count of Monte Cristo_?" Caelum asked, raising an eyebrow down at his work. He worked on top of his sleeping bag, he had a Russian test coming up and he needed to work on his genitives.

" _You_ could read it to _me_ ," Peter suggested, standing up and coming over to him. Caelum rolled his eyes, hiding his smirk from his face.

"I have homework," He replied a bit vague but was more than willing to read the book to him. "Let me finish this."

Peter didn't say anything, but he went to his desk. Caelum moved over, allowing him to sit at the desk. He and Peter worked in silence for about ten minutes. It was so quiet, he could hear the ceiling fan hum overhead, whirring constantly. Caelum stopped writing, looking over, Peter wasn't usually this quiet. Even when he was working on new trinkets, he hummed to himself or played music. But, now he was silent, fiddling softly with his wrench. Caelum rose his good eyebrow, setting his pen aside and looking over at the boy.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

Peter looked away, frowning to himself, his nose crinkling and eyes narrowing at the wrench, "Nothing, don't worry about it."

Caelum scoffed, "Now I want to worry about it. Tell me ― what's wrong?"

Peter sighed and leaned back in his chair, "I. . . I _really_ like you, Cael."

Caelum scoffed, looking down, "God, I _hope_ so."

Peter shook his head, "Just listen. I _like_ you, a lot, but. . . I don't want _us_ to be a secret, okay?"

Now it was Caelum's turn to frown, his heart stuttering a bit, "We're not a secret ― _Ned_ knows about us, and so does Ms. Parker, Sarah and Dorri, and―"

"That's not what I _mean_ , Cael," Peter seemed very upset. His face reddened and his fists clenched, Caelum suddenly got the feeling that he has been thinking about this for a while. Why is he just now bringing it up? "I want to go public about us. I don't want to just be your ' _Queens boyfriend_ ' and ' _Midtown best friend_ '. I want―"

" _No_ ," Caelum said firmly, crossing his arms over his chest. "I _can't_ do that."

" _Cael_ ―"

"Do you remember what happened _last time_ someone found out I was gay?" Caelum pointed to the side of his face. This particular side had a nasty black and grey burn that covered the right side of his face. His eye was permanently squinting, unable to open completely, and metal brands of the stove top embedded in a boomerang-like fashion burn in his skin. The eyelashes and eyebrow were burned clean off and we're likely never going to grow back. Finally, his iris, that used to be chocolate brown color was silvery white now.

His father had done this to him before his untimely death. A permanent scar to literally brand him as a ' _faggot_ ' for the rest of his life.

"I'm not ready yet, Peter," Caelum explained, lowering his hand. "I don't want this happening again. I don't want you to get hurt because of me."

"' _Because of you_ '?" Peter repeated reproachfully. "Caelum, nobody is going to hurt us, and besides, I wouldn't _let_ them."

"You don't know that," Caelum countered, probably sounding paranoid. "And besides, Spidey is _not_ invincible. I don't want to get you hurt, and I'm not ready to come out yet."

"Caelum, _please_ ―"

"I said _no_!" Caelum snapped, cutting the boy off.

He could hear his father's whispers behind his ears, " _You faggot! I won't have any motherfucking fags in my house_!"

Caelum breathed, calming down, "I'm not ready. I'm sorry Peter, but I'm not."

Peter sighed, quiet for a moment, like he wanted to say something else, but thought against it. "Don't apologize. I can see where you're coming from." He came over and wrapped his arms around his neck. He pressed his face down and Caelum smiled.

"I know that this is a big deal for you, but. . ." he sighed, rubbing his face. "After what happened, I _can't_. . . I. . ."

"I understand," Peter said, but Caelum felt like he wasn't telling him everything.

"Is there something else on your mind?" Caelum asked and Peter shook his head, standing up.

"No, forget I ever said anything about it."

"Are you sure, Parker?"

"Yeah," Peter looked at him and gave him his signature of sunshine. Caelum couldn't help but smile back. He fell in love with Peter's smile years ago, and he was lucky enough to still be able to see it.

He closed his textbook and stretched, "You're not going to finish your work?" Peter asked and Caelum shrugged.

"I'll finish it on the train," he replied and Peter scoffed.

"Wow, you're _such_ a delinquent," he teased and Caelum laughed, shoving his books in his bag and setting it beside the door.

"You're one to talk, Spider-Boy," he smirked. "I don't go around the city swinging in a skin-tight suit." Peter laughed and Caelum grinned, moving to lay down on his sleeping bag. May said he was more than welcome to use the couch or the guest room, but Caelum frequently had night terrors and Peter's company helped eased them. May reluctantly agreed to him and Peter sleeping together unless she heard any ' _mood music_ ' going on between the two.

"You know you can sleep in my bed," Peter said, just like he said every night they had been rooming together. The room was very small, barely enough to hold one person, but after Peter did his ' _internship_ ' with Tony _freaking_ Stark ― Caelum was never going to get over that ― they had been receiving gifts from the man. This included a bunk bed/desk with a nice computer setup, state-of-the-art Stark Tech. Caelum was admittedly a little jealous.

The point was, there was little space in the room and Caelum slept on a twin-size sleeping bag that took up half the floor space. Logically, it would make sense to sleep with Peter. Besides the fact that they were dating, they would easily fit in the bed and he wouldn't have to sleep on the cold, hard floor. It made _perfect sense_.

But, every time he attempted to sleep in the bed with Peter, he woke up at night screaming at the top of his lungs, nearly falling off the bunk itself, and spending hours at night recovering from panic attacks. Every time he tried to sleep with someone else besides him, all he could manage to think about were the cold handcuffs slicing the skin off his wrists, the weight of his Principal above him, pressing into him.

He felt the cold pricking his skin and the fear making his hairs rise. He felt his tears going down his face, his desperate plea to stop or to just kill him. His screams and his struggling and crying out for someone to help. He felt the warm, moist breath of the man huffing behind him as he whispered softly in his ear, making him writhe and shudder.

"No thanks, Parker," Caelum smiled at the boy who simply watched him silently. "I'll stay here." Both of them knew why he stayed on the ground. Both of them understood what happened, at least to some degree. But _neither_ of them wanted to address it.

Peter gave a small sigh as he finished climbing the rest of the bunk, "Okay, night Cael."

"Night Peter," he responded and cut the light out.

 **° · ° · ° · °**

School has been an interesting thing for Caelum. With his grades being the rollercoaster that it had been at his leaving, he worked hard to keep it back on top. Peter always kept his grades at a 3.6 or higher ― it was an obligation if he wanted to stay with the decathlon. Before the accident, Caelum's was on par with his. Since then, however, his grades fell, and despite him bringing it back up to a 3.4 at the end of last summer, he wasn't able to compete anymore.

Mr. Harrington, the teacher who supervised and ran the team, felt bad for him. He, like all the faculty, knew what happened after Davis was put away for good. He also knew that it wasn't entirely his fault for his grades dropping and didn't blame him for not coming back while that man ran the school. But, since the official rules barred him from being on the team, Mr. Harrington offered if he wanted to be his assistant.

Naturally, Caelum was chary of the offer. He wasn't keen on ' _assisting_ ' anyone after his time with Davis, but Mr. Harrington quickly, and quite frantically, explained. Essentially, he would be an honorary member. He wouldn't be able to participate, but he would be able to get all the perks as if he were on the team. He could attend the events, compete in practice matches, and help the others study in the meantime, but he wouldn't be able to compete on a national level.

Caelum was fine with it. He was only on the decathlon because of his father, and now was pretty good friends with the team because of it. Well, with the exception of Flash Thompson ― mainly because he was a dick and a half ― and Elizabeth Allen, but that was because of petty jealousy. He didn't have anything against her. Not _really_.

Once Caelum came back for the first meeting of the new year, nearly everyone was fine with it. But, of course, Flash Thompson had several issues.

"Why is he _here_? He missed a _semester_ of school last year!" Flash raged when Mr. Harrington had left the room to get supplies. Everyone else sat around them, Peter and Ned were by his sides. Michelle Jones was sitting on the ground, reading a thick black book that had nothing to do with the subject matter. Sally Avril and Abe Brown were reading off flashcards to each other. Charles Young, Cindy Moon, and Elizabeth Allen were all studying privately.

Everyone looked up when Flash spoke, seeing the boy sneer at Caelum who was eyeing him levelly. The back of his neck tingled, itching to possess the boy and make him do something stupid, but he suppressed the urge.

"Eugene, why does it matter that I'm on the team?" Caelum rose an eyebrow, challenging the boy with his given name. "I can't even _compete_ at nationals."

Flash visibly twitched at the name, his brown cheeks reddening with anger. "Because the decathlon is about having the most _intelligent_ people compete against one another. You, for all intents and purposes, dropped out of high school to have _sex_ with our principal. I don't see how that shows our team as elite _or_ intellectually advanced. We don't do this for _fun_ , _Algol_ , we do it to _win_. You don't get a freebie because you faked being a high-school dropout."

Caelum stared at the boy, taken back and shaking with anger. Flask smirked in his seat as if he had won already. Peter spoke in Caelum's silence, "You _don't_ know what you're talking about!" He snapped, but Flash had already tasted blood.

" _Do I_? What so, Principal Davis just left all on his own then? Were you lying, Algol? You didn't get _buttfucked_ by―"

"That's _enough_ , Eugene," Caelum said, his voice calm. He breathed for a minute, tightening his fury into a small knot and releasing it slowly. "Or, would you like to go into a detailed explanation of what _you_ know of getting fucked in the ass? Surely, you, _Eugene Thompson_ , knower of all things, _must_ know about it?" Flash was quiet, his lips moving to form words that thankfully weren't coming out. "How about instead of bringing up unnecessary vulgar things, we should do what Mr. Harrington assigned us: _study_. I don't see how gay sex has anything to do with whales."

"Don't try that _shit_ with me, Algol," Flash snarled baring his teeth in white anger. "You're _nothing_ like the rest of us, you're _barely_ allowed in the classroom, and you aren't going anything for the team except grab us and wait on us. You're useless, _always_ sucking someone off to get what you want!"

Caelum ground his teeth, watching him carefully. The back of his neck tingled, itching for him to possess the boy. "For someone who talks a lot of shit about being the smartest guy in the room, you're making yourself to be a real asshole. _Look around you_ , your teammates, your beloved ' _friends_ '," he motioned around the classroom at all the bowed headed but tuned ears. Nobody's pencils were moving, nobody was talking to each other.

"They don't want to be involved in this shit," Caelum continued, "You want me off the team, for _what_? I can't fucking _compete_ if you didn't already notice that. Last time _I_ fucking checked, their work didn't hinge on who was involved where. Don't be an _ass_ , get back to work."

Flash had the audacity to laugh, eyes narrowed ruefully at him, "You're the only idiot here, Algol. You're like the _ultimate_ third wheel, always hanging off of Peter like a puppy. Parker is strides farther than what you could ever be. You're the scum of the school, the _0.01_ %. Nobody would miss your ass."

"Peter _is_ my friend," Caelum stated calmly, clenching his fist to keep him from punching the boy. "If you really did have actual friends and not ass-kisser ones, then you'd understand that. We _all_ took the same test to get in here, you just happen to have everything spoon fed to you like some dip-shit who hasn't had to work a real day in his life. With your ego so far up your ass, I'm surprised it hasn't been pushed up there by Davis himself?" The mention of the man's name brought silence to the room that filled Caelum with tension and anger. He called at his bad experiences to and narrowed it on this one boy, stepping over to him, his eyes barely blinking as he walked.

His words were as cold as death and his eyes darkened with sinful memories. "Is that why you hate me so much, Thompson? Did very Davis start paying you special attention to, hmm?" Flash gave the smallest of shudders at this, almost unnoticed by Caelum. "Are you jealous me? Of what I had to go through? Because that's how it started, you know, he made you feel special, feel smart and unique. Soon enough he'll have your on your stomach, ass spread wide for him." He was in front of him now, an eye trained on each other, and his neck prickled and burned. "Is that what you fucking want, Thompson? Because I can have the prison on the phone and I know the cell number. You want to chat with that man, I'll get it for you and you'll how bad it is to take it up the ass by that man."

Caelum leaned in close, almost do that their noses were touching, and he whispered, "For the record, he would _tear your ass in half."_

Flash stared at him for several seconds before providing an angry, "Fuck you!" His hands shaking and eyes narrowed in hatred. Caelum could tell he had scared him enough. The entire room was silent with a thick tension nobody dared to touch. The door opened and Mr. Harrington stepped through.

"Okay! Here are the replacement study guides if anyone needs them!" He set them down on a desk and smiled around at everyone. Nobody was smiling back. Everyone looked down awkwardly at their papers, not quite sure what to say at the abrupt change in transition.

Flash, on the other hand, was red in the face, and squabbling with anger. "Did. . . something happen?" He asked, suddenly reading the room.

Caelum watched Flash for a minute before letting out a silent breathe, running his hand over his head. He gave Mr. Harrington a reassuring smile. "No, sir. Flash and I had a disagreement, but we were able to solve it civilly. Right, Flash?" Caelum turned to the boy his eye narrowed, daring to say something snarky.

Flash glared at Caelum, but gave a short nod, going to his desk to get back to work. "Oh?" Mr. Harrington asked, slightly surprised. "Well, I am glad you two were able to come to a conclusion. Let's get back to work then. We'll do a group study in ten minutes."

Caelum went back to sitting with Ned and Peter as the room's tension slowly eased. "What the hell?" Ned hissed as Mr. Harrington moved to help quiz Sally and Abe. "You know he's going to be out for you now, right?"

"He started it," Caelum scoffed, and looked over at Peter, smirking. "Thanks for defending me. I appreciate it." a quieter part of him wanted to comment that it had been cute, but he knew there were prying ears around and he didn't want to disclose their relationship, not in this environment.

"Well, someone has to be your knight in shining armor," Peter gave him his lopsided grin and Caelum laughed, looking down, smiling to himself. "Are you okay? Those things you said about Davis. . ."

"I'm fine," Caelum assured. "Don't worry about me." Peter watched him carefully and Caelum nudged his shoulder, smiling at him. "Really, don't," he insisted again. "Just a few words. That's hardly a flesh wound ― barely a papercut."

Peter's brown eyes watched him carefully and Caelum resisted the urge to suddenly steal a kiss. He quickly looked away, knowing that his neck would get uncomfortable if someone stared for too long. "If that's how you feel," Peter murmured, looking down at his paper.

Caelum leaned over, whispering softly in his ear, "I know I can say a few words to you that'll make you feel a thing or two. Don't tempt me, Parker." Peter went beet red and it took all of Caelum's willpower to not throw his head back in laughter. Peter pushed him away, only causing him to laugh harder.

"God, please don't start flirting again," Ned groaned and Caelum chuckled, looking over at him.

"You're welcome to join us." He teased, and Ned looked slightly appalled, his cheeks turning a tint of pink, which made Caelum and Peter laugh.

 **° · ° · ° · °**

After decathlon, Peter went on patrol and Caelum went to work. It had taken a lot of arguing back and forth with Sarah, Dorri, and May, but eventually, they allowed him to go back to work, with a few exceptions. For one, he had to be back in time for dinner, and he couldn't work on Sundays because that's when they went to the cafe and spend time with the boys.

Caelum was eager to get anything, they originally didn't want him to work at all. Caelum thought this was completely unreasonable. May was paying for two mouths now, and even though Caelum tried not to eat too much, Peter would know and force him to eat enough. They had a. . . _issue_ during the summer about that and the boy wouldn't let him live it down.

So, Caelum worked extra hard, pushing for tips and getting the maximum number of hours possible. Originally, he considered working at the Café, but it had been so much farther away that he was missing at least twenty minutes of possible work time. Instead, he went back to Delmar's Deli-Grocery, which was considerably closer to the Subway where he got off. Delmar, after having the last six months explained to him, was more than willing to rehire Caelum. He did good work, brought money in, worked well with customers, and the man liked him.

Caelum worked usually from four to nine, and then he went to the apartment to have dinner with Peter and May. Sometimes, Peter would meet up with him, and walk home with him. Caelum enjoyed the nights like this, the city buzzing with exhaustion from the day. The street lights whirring and yellowed, illuminating dark corners and dangerous alleys. Sometimes, just to humor him, Peter would jump from the tops of streetlamps, as if the ground was lava, or swing down from the top of a building to kiss him.

God, they were both such _silly_ romantics.

Tonight, though, it had been raining. The clouds had been heavy all morning, just waiting to burst at their fluffy seams. He scrunched his nose as he stared out the window, wondering if Peter would be willing to send him an umbrella. However, as soon as he thought it, Peter texted their group chat, saying he and Ned were going to be a bit late. There must've been an issue on patrol? He contemplated texting Peter to see what was wrong but reconsidered it. He didn't want to put him in any danger if he didn't have to.

Caelum turned, wishing Delmar a good night as he finished locking everything up and began on his way.

Caelum pulled his thin jacket up and hunched over to protect himself against the freezing rains and chilly winds. He hurried, the walk to the apartment was about twenty minutes but it was fifteen if he ran.

His teeth chattered and goosebumps ran up his arms as he walked. He sniffed, squinting down the sidewalk, a woman was twisting a key in a door, frantically trying to get out of the rain. A man lurked behind her, and as soon as she entered, he stepped in behind her.

Caelum furrowed his eyebrows, walking up to the door, and pressing his ear to the cold metal. He heard a muted scream and a heavy thud. He swallowed hard, trying the door, but found it locked. He hissed a swear, looking around, and finding the buzzer, scanned the names before ringing one. "Hello, Miss Pearson, this is, uh, Ca. . . _Caleb_ from the room, uh, under yours, I can't find my key, can you let me in?"

He waited a moment, " _Yes, dear of course_." The buzzer rang and Caelum hurried in, swinging the door open and looking around. The layout of the apartment was similar to his own. There was a slightly ajar door and from inside was heavy thuds and a sob.

He ran over, swinging the door open and seeing a man pressed against a woman, who struggled beneath him, tears in her eyes. Caelum's stomach twisted, hearing Davis behind his ears.

 _"Get on your knees."_

Caelum swallowed, his stomach doing cartwheels, "Let her _go_ , sir," He snapped, his voice cracking and sweat building on his brow.

The man turned, annoyed at the interruption. The woman was still crying and she tried to squirm away. He held her at the wrist, his eyes narrowed and anger burning through him. "Get the fuck outta here kid," he snarled, and Caelum glared at the man.

"Let her go. Find something else to stick your dick into, sir," the man sneered and pulled a knife on him. It was small and had a blunt edge from the looks of it. Caelum narrowed his eyes.

"I said to _leave_ unless you wanna be looking at your guts, kid," the man threatened, with what sounded like a New Jersey accent.

"Don't think I will." The man turned his lip into a snarled, letting the woman go and rushing towards him. Caelum stood his ground and blinked.

He was easily in the man's body. He stopped moving and dropped the knife, kicking it across the room so it went underneath the washing machine. _He watched the dumb bitch stare at him in shock because of kid the stupid kid. He was going to strangle the goddamn runt for―_

Caelum went back to his own body and gripped the side of his head, hissing. The man groaned, stumbling back and holding his own head as if his brain was oozing from his eyes.

Caelum turned to the woman, who was gaping as she witnessed it. "Call the police," he grunted, trying to stand straight. "Get him arrested for assault and attempted rape. I suggest locking him in here, too. He's probably not going to be moving for a hot minute." Caelum turned and quickly left the building.

 **° · ° · ° · °**

He stumbled down the street, his right eye still throbbing in pain. Caelum groaned, leaning against a wall, trying to make it stop. This has been happening ever since his father burned him. He didn't know what was wrong, or if he should go to someone about it. He hadn't even told Peter what was happening to him. The boy would worry himself to death if he had heard his eye was causing him pain.

The rain soaked through his clothes as he breathed heavily. He had to hurry back, or else he'd get sick, and he couldn't afford that, not for him or the boys.

He stood up, and began to walk, rubbing his eye irritably. He bumped into someone else and stumbled back a few feet. "Oh, sorry, I wasn't watching where I was. . ." He trailed off, staring at the man.

His white eyes gleamed in the darkness, the bottom half of his face covered completely by a scarf. He could make out strands of dark hair from underneath a hood over his head. He wore a heavy jacket, not dissimilar to that of a homeless person, and his hands twitched as if he wanted to touch him.

Caelum stared at the man, recognizing his partially covered face. He was the one from his dream ― his nightmare. He thought his imagination conjured up him, just a random face he had seen on the street at some point, but. . . here he was. In the flesh, with white eyes. On a dimly lit street with no one around, _at night_.

"I've. . . I've been. . . I've _seen_ so much," the man rasped with a kind of disgusting sound as if he were a fifteen-year smoker or had an awful cold. It made Caelum want to run. He turned, trying to leave, but the man grabbed his arm. " _Wait_!" The man hissed, yanking him back with a kind of superhuman strength.

Caelum's back hit the brick wall and he cried out in pain. His heart raced and fear crawled across his face. "Please, I―I don't have anything on me," he stammered, trying to pry the man's grip off him, but it was solid.

"For so long, I've waited for you. . . for you to be ready," the man whispered, his hand moving up slowly. Caelum tried to move away, but the man grasped his cheek, squeezing gently, murmuring to himself. "Look at you, that eye. . . you're _perfect_. . ."

" _Please_ ," Caelum whimpered, tears welling in his eyes as his time with Davis vividly flashed in his memory.

"He'll want to see you, _yes, yes_ , he'll want to inspect you as well. Just to be sure, just to make sure. Just to make sure you're _per-_ _fect_ _,_ " the man split the last word into two, emphasizing each syllable. He leaned down and moved towards the side of his face. "We'll make you _perfect_."

Caelum squirmed, hearing a car turn down the street. The man did too, turning his head as the headlights approached. "Soon. Not now, _soon_. Too much to test." The man dropped him and he landed flat on the ground as the other man turned to run.

The car that was driving down was a mustard-colored taxi. The driver pulled to the side and rolled down the window, "Hey, you okay, kid? Need me to call the police?"

Caelum stared at the ground, his body trembling, tears mixing with the rain that ran down his face.

"Kid is everything―?" Caelum moved to stand on shaking legs. The taxi driver called after him, but he didn't reply.

Memories peaked at the surface of his mind and he could help the sobs that pierced his throat. He couldn't cry out here, he had to get home.

He hurried back to the apartment, looking over his shoulder and running when he crossed dark allies. Fear moved him and hyperventilation causing him to wheeze badly, his eyes watering with the sting of cold winds. He swore he could see the haunting white eyes in every corner, he could feel the grip on his shoulder like critters over his skin. He gagged, stumbling over an unleveled part of the sidewalk, stumbling and falling on his palms. The pain helped root him, as he scurried back to his feet, like a rat trying desperately to crawl into a sewage drain. He swallowed hard, seeing the familiar lights of the apartment in the distance. This spurred him to run even faster.

He took the front steps two at a time before stumbling into the wet, rusty metal door. He clumsily shoved his key into the lock and for a horrifying second, it didn't turn. His mind imagined the man behind him, laughter evident in his disturbing pale eyes as he took him by those calloused, hard hands, yanking him away from safety and into the darkness of the side alleyway.

Eventually, the door opened and he ran up the steps, not having the patience for the elevator. He stumbled several times, his skinned hands burning as he clawed his way up the metal grating stairwell.

At long last, he made it to the apartment door and he forced it open, hardly giving time for his key to turn in the lock. Peter was sitting on the couch, several sheets of paper in front of him along with an open textbook. The sunny boy looked up at him and his mouth turned upwards in that familiar and brilliant smile. However, when he saw the fear in his eyes and the tears on his face, it fell.

Caelum's weary body finally caught up to him. He had run nearly ten blocks in the freezing rain. His body was freezing cold, rainwater dripped from his hair and unto his face. It mixed with his salty tears and runny nose. His chest heaved and burned for air that still wasn't coming. He swallowed back a wave of sudden nausea as his knees finally buckled and he fell on his side. His body shook from the shock of the cold and what had happened. He wasn't breathing and swallowed hard, hoping that it would fix it, but it only caused his chest to hurt even more.

Peter jumped to his feet, shouting his name and trying to get him to sit up again. May ran from the kitchen and into the room, hearing the sudden commotion. She immediately took charge and started shouting orders. _Get on the couch, get him a towel and clean clothes, breathe for me, honey, hurry up!_

Caelum took a deep breath, and his eyes rolled back into his head.

 **° · ° · ° · ° · ° · ° · ° · ° · ° · ° · ° · ° · ° · ° · ° · ° · °**

 **I'm a month late, but** _ **heey**_ **that's alright 'cause I'm here now, and we're finally starting this thing!**

 **Okay, so first of all, hello! Sorry for taking so long, that was a mess, really. I literally had a month of writer's block and didn't know what to do about it, but I'm mostly done now, so don't worry. Also, I didn't like how this chapter had been coming out, but I figured it out in the end and it's here now, so please don't be mad.**

 **This story will be getting bi-weekly updates because I haven't stockpiled enough chapters to give it a shorter update period, but once I do so, it'll be back to the once a week updates, maybe twice a week once we get near to the end. I have a lot planned for this book, so I hope you guys enjoy it. Again, I'm sorry for taking literally a month to get this out to you guys, but I'm excited to be able to break your hearts again, lol. This is going to be a brilliant ride if I do say so myself. Thank you for sticking with me. I'll see y'all next time and remember. . .**

 **Don't melt~!**  
 **\- Happyritas OOO**

 **NEXT UPDATE** **:** ** _February 6th_** **!**


	3. - 2 -

**chapter two:**

Caelum woke up what felt like an hour later laying on the couch. His eyes were heavy and crusted over. His mouth tasted dry and his throat was sore. His right eye was irritated and stung slightly when he tried to open it.

He blinked, rubbing his face and looking around. The room was quiet, the curtains drawn and the lights out. The house was dark and rich with night. Caelum slowly sat up, his back throbbed as he moved, as if someone had beat him.

Caelum frowned, remembering that someone _had_ beat him. The man with the covered face and white eyes, akin to his own, on the sidewalk. His grimy breath and cheap, plastic clothes that smelled of musk and body odor. Caelum remembered his hoarse, raspy voice, and the deranged way he spoke to him. He felt the dull nails that gripped his arm, slicing into his skin. He heard the way he whispered down his ear, his tongue moving around his mouth, licking his lips in forbidden desire.

Chills ran down his sore spine.

Caelum moved, suddenly deciding that sitting in the dark wasn't going to improve upon his sanity. He shuffled towards the wall, his feet burned with pins and needles and his body aching with every step. He stumbled into the wall, his hand fumbling on an object causing it to slip in the darkness. He barely managed to catch it before it hit the ground, probably to be helplessly broken.

Caelum held onto it, holding it in his right hand as he continued to searched for a light switch with his left. He found it and yawned, rubbing his eyes and flickered it on.

 **DOZENS OF MEN WITH THE COVERED FACES STARED BACK, SITTING IN EVERY PLACE IMAGINABLE, EYES GLEAMING WHITE AND FOLLOWING HIM.**

Caelum let out a cry of alarm, dropping the object in his hand, stumbling away so his back hit the wall. The object, apparently glass, shattered on impact with the ground and his bare feet sliced the side of a serrated edge. Caelum blinked several times and rubbed his eyes, his chest heaving with sudden panic and foot stinging in pain.

When he opened his eyes and focused, the faces were gone and the room was empty. His scarred eye began to twitch, and he felt the early stages of it beginning to burn.

Caelum swallowed, looking around and slowly calming down. He was the only one in the room. The phantom faces had disappeared.

At his feet, the vase was in pieces and blood smeared the wooden floor. One particular shard mixed with the blood, coating it a mauve colour with some design he didn't care for. Footsteps came down the hall and frantically into the room. Peter stood in the threshold, looking alarmed and wearing his fleece Iron Man pajamas and cheap white slippers.

" _Cael_?" He said softly, and Caelum immediately straightened up, trying to not show his shaking hands and frantically beating heart. "Are. . . are you―?"

"I'm fine," he lied, his eyes dancing across the room where the faces once stood, staring at him. He bent down instead, bringing the sleeve of his ― no, Peter's ― shirt down to his hand, and gently picking up the biggest chunks closest to him. His hands shook so hard that it made it difficult to keep steady grip.

He swallowed, closing his eyes, the faces of the men burned into his eyelids. Their white eyes unblinking and glowed dangerously. What the hell was going on with him? Was this because of the man on the sidewalk? Why was his eye burning?

"Cael. . ." Peter said again, more gently and concerned. He caught sight of his foot and managed to look even more concerned, "You're bleeding."

"It's nothing. I–I had a nightmare," he murmured, inhaling, trying to steady his heart.

"You had a nightmare?"

"Yes―"

"―Eight feet from the couch?" Peter finished and Caelum flinched slightly.

"I moved," he shrugged, and quietly added. "I don't wanna talk about it."

Peter watched him fiddle with the glass pieces before turning and going to the kitchen. He came back with a broom, dustpan, and the first-aid kit. He gently shooed Caelum away and handed him the kit.

Caelum frowned, but moved anyway, taking the case from him and beginning to wrap up his foot, and his hands. The tips of his fingers held small cuts from the jagged edges. Blood well up in small bubbles. The sight of the burgundy liquid somehow eased his still racing heart. He was alive, his heart was beating, he still had blood running through his veins.

"Do you want to talk about what happened while you were coming home?" Peter asked quietly, sweeping the glass into a trash bin.

Caelum bit his lip, looking up at the boy. He wasn't ready to talk about the man with the covered face yet. It was too recent, too fresh in his mind. He got the stupid idea that if he mentioned the man again, then he would return. It was unrealistic and silly, and yet it made his heart skip a beat.

"There was a woman about to get. . . _assaulted_ ," Caelum replied truthfully. "I stopped it."

"You did?" Caelum gave a small nod and Peter looked at him, shocked. "Did. . . Did anything. . . Did they try to. . .?"

"Not with me, no," he sniffed, sticking his bleeding finger in his mouth, not bothering to waste a band-aid on it. If his mother had seen him do this, she'd throw a fit. "I, uh, possessed him. Managed to render him unconscious and made sure he'd be secured. I guess. . . the _prospect_ of it happening again, it–it scared me? Maybe I saw the woman and I put myself in her shoes."

"I'm sorry, Cael," Peter said honestly, and Caelum shrugged, rubbing his arms, looking down.

"It doesn't matter, he's gone now, so I shouldn't care, right?" Slowly, Peter came to his side, wrapping his arms around him and pulling him into a tight hug.

Caelum felt bad for lying to his boyfriend, even if it was a half-lie. He usually told Peter everything, but this man that had followed him, even to his _dreams_ , unsettled him to the bone. It made him feel sicker than _anything_ Davis could have done to him.

What if they went after his _brothers_? Or _Peter_? What did they want from him? He was so confused and scared and nothing was making sense right now.

He held onto Peter tighter, pressing his face into his shirt, breathing him in slowly. "It's okay if you're _not_ okay, Cael," Peter whispered, and Caelum nodded absently. "But, _please_ , just talk to me if you aren't. I don't. . . I don't want you to just. . . do that thing where you put on this cold front and don't talk about anything. I don't like that."

Caelum chuckled halfheartedly. pulling away to look at Peter. He took in his chocolate eyes, mousy dark hair, sugar cookie coloured skin, and lips pink from nervous biting. He looked at his soft, warm eyes, smiled, and lied straight to his face.

"I will. I tell you _everything_."

 **° · ° · ° · °**

School dragged on and on the next day, and Caelum couldn't stand it. May had offered that he should stay home, if he wasn't feeling up to the task of school. Caelum, although flattered at her suggestion, declined and went to school with Peter.

May was big on mental health and the like. Although Caelum was _aware_ of it, he didn't really regard it as something he needed. It may have been a bad trait inherited from his parents, but they had never truly taken mental health into account with their children. They never taught him, the Ghost, or his brothers anything about mental health, or how to deal with it. He had a sneaking suspicion that his father didn't even believe in it, with the exception of extreme cases. Like the ' _gays_ '.

So, Caelum powered on, going to school and spending every second wishing he was home already. The events from the previous night still edging at the corners of his consciousness and keeping him on his toes, but he suppressed it. This manifested into a deep-seated exhaustion that left him _irritable_.

Maybe it was the cold that made him feel this way. The subtle change of leaves that followed September into the long awaited month of October, may have caused a moodiness to grow in him. If this were so, then the icy winds and frosty grounds didn't help his mood at all.

He huffed, glancing out the window and spotting a squirrel, bouncing around with another, playing in the chill despite the frozen temperature.

He sighed softly and went back to his work, an essay they had ten minutes left to complete. He nearly finished his closing statement and took the rest of his time proofreading.

Eventually, class was over, he had finished his essay and turned it in for grading. Those unlucky enough not to be done would likely be finishing it at two AM tonight.

Peter met up with him on his way to his next period ― lunch. He _used_ to spend the hour doing schoolwork. Last year he couldn't afford such a luxury as lunch, but this year he didn't _have_ to pay for it. On top of that, Peter would force him to eat.

"Hey," Peter grinned. Caelum was happy to see his boyfriend's face, it was a good reprieve from the exhausting day ― that wasn't even half over. "How was English?"

" _Boring_ ," Caelum drawled, shifting his bag. "We watched a video, had a short lecture, and then an essay." He huffed, rubbing his arms, "I dunno, I've been tired all day."

"Well, good news," Ned smirked. "Today, were having pizza for lunch!"

"Don't they have pizza every day?" Caelum asked, frowning. He only ate the salads and occasionally a fruit ― he was a vegetarian.

"Yeah, but this time, I heard, there's sausage pizza!" Caelum couldn't help but smile. Ned somehow had the ability to do that, and it helped, especially on days like these.

They made their way to the cafeteria, Caelum immediately trying to go sit down, but Peter dragged him up. " _Nope_ , not skipping today."

"I get lunch _everyday_ ," Caelum complained, he hated having to wait in the god awful line. It was much easier to just sit down, he could finish a lot of work, and it wasn't like there were a lot of people who got the _vegetarian_ options. They wouldn't be running out anytime soon.

" _Nope_ ," Peter said again, and Caelum groaned, pouting at him. Peter grinned, "You'll just have to suffer like the rest of us."

"I hate you, Parker."

"No, you don't," Peter's eyes twinkled with mischief and in that moment Caelum wanted to kiss him. He leaned forward, as if he were going to, but then realized that they were in the cafeteria, surrounded by people.

His father's words crept at his spine, whispering in his ear, " _Fucking faggot!_ "

Caelum moved away, his mouth dry and eyes downcast, "I'm actually not feeling good. I'm gonna sit this one out."

"Cael―?"

"I'll see you two at the table," he smiled, it was a bit broken and awkward, as he turned to find a place to sit. Luckily, since the majority of the cafeteria's occupants were waiting in line to eat, there were plenty of seats available.

He sat down at a table near the exit, pulling out his bag and starting on his first period math homework. Ten minutes later, Peter and Ned joined him. "―It's gonna look _so_ cool! Wanna finish it tonight?!"

"Finish _what_ tonight?" Caelum asked, as Peter sat down, handing an apple and a banana to Caelum ― who was going to eat _one_ of those things.

"I just got a _limited edition_ Death Star Lego set!" Ned looked absolutely fanatic with excitement. "There's only like a _thousand_ out there! I nearly didn't get it too, it sold out in like two minutes. It just came in last night, come on Peter, you would love it!"

"I can't, Ned, I've been telling you ― _Stark Internship_ ," Peter frowned, taking a bite of his pizza. He then glared at Caelum until he bit into his apple as well.

"You can't take a day off?" Caelum asked. He knew full well that Peter's ' _Stark Internship_ ' was really him patrolling as Spider-Man around Queens and the better part of the city. Caelum didn't like _how_ he managed his life as Peter _and_ as Spider-Man. He prioritized sometimes Spider-Man over his personal life, opting out of things Peter usually would do. He wondered if he could talk to Tony _freaking_ Stark over it later.

"I can't," Peter frowned, "I don't want to ruin the Internship, if some―if _he_ needs me and I'm not there to help. . .!"

"Okay, okay," Ned sighed, this was how he dealt with it all the time ― no questions asked, just acceptance. Ned was a good friend, but he was also a bit of a pushover when it came to Peter. It wasn't fair to him that Peter spent every night swinging in a skin-tight suit. He deserved _better_.

"Why don't you come over anyway, Ned?" Caelum offered, twisting the apple in his hand. "I'm sure Peter will be back in time to help finish, and I get off work at nine, but I'll see if I can get off earlier."

Ned beamed and Caelum grinned, taking a bite of his apple. The two began to talk again, and he went back to his homework, calculating trinomials easily. Then, another bit of conversation caught his ear. "There she is!"

He frowned, but ignored it. "Did Liz get a new top?"

Caelum pried his eyes away to see what was happening. Ned and Peter were staring at Elizabeth Allen as she put up the Homecoming banner, which was quickly approaching. He frowned, glancing back at the boys, who still hadn't stop staring. "No, we've seen it before, just never with that skirt."

Caelum's eyes narrowed, he had half the mind not to possess the girl and let her fall off a ten-foot ladder. "Would you _please_ stop _drooling_ over her?" He snapped, anger igniting in him. "It's _creepy_."

"We _weren't_ ―" Peter tried to defend, but Michelle Jones, who had been sitting at the end of the table, reading the same book she was yesterday, spoke up.

"Yeah, you were," she drawled in her usual bored tone. "You guys are _losers_."

"We're _not_ losers," Peter defended and turned to Caelum. "And we weren't _drooling_ ― we were simply. . . _observing_."

" _Bold-ass liar_ ," Caelum deadpanned and Peter went red. "If you like checking her out all that much, then why don't you just ask _her_ to homecoming? I'm sure she would _love_ that." Suddenly, a dark cruelty edged at his anger. "' _Oh, I've seen you watching me, Peter_!'" He put on a high voice, and Peter visibly cringed. "' _Ogling my outfits and ass! I would love to go to homecoming with you_!'"

"Liz _doesn't_ sound like that," Peter glared, "Stop it."

Caelum rolled his eyes, putting his stuff into his backpack. "Prove me _wrong_ , Parker." He grabbed his bag and stood.

"Where are you going?" Ned asked.

" _Library_. I need a break." With that, he left, sending one final, subtle glare to Elizabeth and disappearing down the hall.

 **° · ° · ° · °**

Caelum went to his locker, pulling out the books he would need for the next period, and leaving the others there. When he closed the door, Flash Thompson was standing behind it.

Caelum suddenly got a vision of Davis lurking around the locker, " _We need to discuss your financials, Mr. Forest_."

His blood ran cold and Flash saw that he had scared him. He scoffed, "Don't be such a _pussy_ , Forest."

Irritation gripped him, his heart rate returning to normal after the Davis scare. "What do you _want_ , Eugene? How long have you been stand there like an extra in _West Side Story_?"

Flash glared in anger, "I want you to get off the decathlon team," he growled. Caelum rose an eyebrow, leaning back.

"Well, you must have quite the convincing argument then."

Flash sneered, "You're a _dumbass_! You're not smart enough for the team, I honestly don't even know why they let a shitty kid like you back in the school."

"I don't see how this relates to the decathlon team."

"You know you shouldn't be there anyway, what did you do, give Harrington a _blowjob_?"

Caelum rolled his eyes, "What are you _getting_ at, Eugene? _Nothing_ you say will make me quit the decathlon team. You're wasting both of our time."

"What seems to be the issue here?" Caelum looked up, annoyed that a teacher had to get involved in something so trivial.

Then, he froze, his eyes widening and blood running cold. The man stood just behind Flash and had white, colourless eyes like his. The bottom half of his face was visible, but it looked like it was covered in chemical burns. The skin was peeling in places and discoloured in others.

Caelum's entire body shook as he stepped back. Flash looked confused, "Who are you?" He asked, nose upturned and confused.

"Substitute teacher for Ms. Warren today," He smiled eerily, staring down at Caelum. He didn't sound like the man from last night, but he had the same face. If the bottom half was his face covered, then he would have the same look too. "She had a rather unfortunate accident."

Flash rose an eyebrow, "What happened to your face?"

The man looked a bit confused. Then, he laughed, it was a grating noise, deep and unsettling. Caelum took an unconscious step back, not wanting to hear that awful noise again. "The result of being foolhardy in a dangerous environment," He gave a crooked grin, revealing a gap in between his yellowed teeth.

Caelum tried not to gag, remembering how quickly, how easily, those hands gripped his arm and threw him against the brick wall. "But, thanks for reminding me." He moved his hands ― which had been covered by black leather gloves ― and brought up a white, surgeon's mask. Suddenly, the look fell in, bottom half of his face covered, white eyes, disheveled look. Caelum felt ill. "Lunch should be ending any minute now, do we need to report this to Principal Morita, or can we settle this dispute peacefully?"

Caelum's stomach twisted at the thought of having to go to the Principal's office again, especially without Peter to anchor him. "No, sir," He said, closing his locker and holding his books tight.

"I agree," Flash said, smirking slightly at Caelum, probably mistaking his inherent fear for subservience. "See you around, _Algol_." The name made him flinch, despite himself, as the boy moved to leave. Caelum went to follow him, but then the man placed his hand on his shoulder.

Caelum bit his tongue to keep himself from screaming. "I was wondering," The man spoke, as Caelum tried to take his shoulder from his grip, his hands trembling. He couldn't the man was too strong. "If you wouldn't mind speaking with me after school? We need to have a discussion."

God, he _was_ going to be sick.

"I. . .I, uh," He sniffed, shoving his clammy hands into his pockets. "I have to get home early, I. . . I have an early shift at work, and I can't really afford to miss it, and―"

"I'll reimburse you," The man smiled. He felt the vomit rise in his throat, he couldn't stop thinking about Davis. "I'm sure it's more than whatever you'd be making at that bodega."

He knew where he worked. He knew where he _worked_ ― did he know where he _lived_? Did he know where his _brothers_ lived? He had to get away from this man.

He turned to look him in the eye, and blinked. Suddenly, there was a bright, white light, and Caelum's face burned in pain. He let out a scream, and the man let him go. He gripped his eye, stumbling back, tripping on his on feet. He fell down painfully, tears burned his eyes as he hissed, as he trembled on the ground. He heard footsteps coming towards him and squatting next to him. Caelum let out a whimper, trying to get away, but the man held unto his arm, forcing his hands away from his eye easily.

Caelum kept his eyes closed as the man asked him softly, " _Cute_ , but that won't work on me." He leaned close, his grimy breath, laced with the scent of old coffee as he whispered in his ear. The hair on the back of his neck stood to attention and his heart stilled, "But, we can fix that for you."

The man patted the side of his arm, and stood, "Nice talk, Mr. Forest, I'll see you this afternoon." The way he said it, it held a finality, there was no arguing it. Caelum _was_ going to see the man again this afternoon.

The bell rang, letting the participants of lunch. Caelum tried to get to his feet, but his entire body was in pain, as if he were paralyzed, He heard footsteps running down the hall, probably some eager freshman, but then Peter skidded around the corner, spotting him on the ground.

" _Shit_!" He hissed, racing over and grabbing him underneath his arm. Every single inch of his body burned in pain and he let out a sob. "Shh, shh, I know, shh," he hushed, leaving his bag on the ground, probably to be taking into _Lost-and-Found_ later. He led him to the bathroom down a secluded hallway near the gym ― usually unoccupied due to how much farther away it was from the center of activity.

Peter let him inside a stall and Caelum fell on the ground, letting out another sob, tears leaked out of the edges of his eyes despite how tightly shut they were. "God, what happened? My spidey-senses have been going off for like ever, and I couldn't get out of the cafeteria soon enough and― _oh god_!" He knelt before him as Caelum slowly, hesitantly, cracked his eyes open.

"I. . . I―" he trembled, trying to get his speech and breathing ― and literally every other function of his being ― under control.

"Jesus Christ, your _eye_ , oh my god," Peter's hands shook as he brought them to the sides of his face, gently wiping at his right eye, his fingers coming back with blood. Caelum stared at his hands, just as shocked as Peter was. "What happened? Did someone hit you?"

He swallowed and tried to speak again, slowly and with effort. "T. . . Teacher, I. . . I think, he. . . he was a sub. . . and. . . ugh. . ." he breathed, closing his eyes, trying to hold back the biting pain. "He had white eyes, Flash. . . we. . ."

"We gotta get you to the nurse, or the hospital! Why isn't the blood stopping?!" He turned around, yanking a bunch of sandpaper coarse toilet paper off the roll and dabbing at his face with it. Caelum hissed, closing his eyes. "No, don't do that ― it could make it worse. How did this happen? Geez, there's so much. . ."

"I. . . I tried to possess him," Caelum inhaled, "Then. . . there was this bright light, and I. . . I. . . god, it hurt so bad." He whined, trying to get his breathing under control. He was speaking better and the pain was ebbing away a little.

"Did anyone see?" Peter asked, seriously.

"I don't. . . I don't think so. . ." He murmured, breathing more steadily. "I. . . I think I'm better now. . ." He gently took the toilet paper and held it to his bleeding eye. Peter looked infinitely more worried. "I'm good. . . I'll just. . . skip next period and tell Mr. Garrison that I felt sick."

"He'd ask for a nurse slip," Peter said and Caelum gave him a slight shrug ― and hiding the wince that came from it.

"I copied a few a while back ― I can forge Mrs. Wilson's signature. And, I'm pretty sure Mr. Garrison likes me." Peter chuckled and Caelum smiled, taking another deep breath. "Go to class, Parker. Ms. May will throw a fit if she finds out that you've been skipping too."

"May won't mind, if I say you weren't feeling well," Peter replied. "And, besides, I'm pretty sure she likes me." Caelum let out a laugh, trying not to be too loud so he didn't attract any teachers.

"What a rebel," Caelum murmured, leaning against his boyfriend's chest.

"Well, I'm not chaotic evil _yet_ , but I'm sure you'll get me there." Caelum snorted and Peter grinned, he moved and quickly pecked him on the lips. Peter blinked, surprised, "What happened to Midtown best friend?"

"Well, I thought while we're on the topic of breaking rules. . ." Peter chuckled and leaned down, kissing him back, deeper and with a lot more meaning. Caelum smiled, closing his eyes, and for once, feeling as if all his problems were melting away with the warmth of Peter's body against his own.

He wished it could have been that simple.

* * *

 **Sorry this is late, a lot of things have been happening recently and I'm trying to work around it and find time to write!**

 **I'm still working on a few of the chapters, so I'm not at the point where I can do weekly updates yet :/.**

 **Honestly, the schedule might be a little wonky until things finally start to calm down. Again, in so sorry, but hopefully by the end of his month, things would've calmed down.**

 **Thanks so much for your support guys. I'll see y'all next time and remember...**

 **Don't melt~!**

 **\- Happyritas OOO**


	4. - 3 -

**chapter three:**

Caelum went to work early that afternoon, leaving a bit earlier than when he was supposed to in order to get to the train back home. Peter hadn't stayed with him, but promised to swing by if he needed it, and to keep his phone alert if he contacted him. It made Caelum feel a little better.

He arrived for his shift about twenty minutes early. Delmar raised an eyebrow at his entrance, easily noticing the time as well. "Sorry, I didn't, uh feel like staying at the school this afternoon," Caelum awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck.

Delmar waved a hand, "As long as you're not gettin' yourself in trouble, kid. Just, don't clock in until your actual time."

"Got it," Caelum smiled and began to work. It was a notably slow day, despite yesterday's heavy rains, and the morning's gloomy weather, it had passed allowing the sun to shine clearly. Caelum was able to personally see a beam of light when Peter stepped into the grocery store, smiling wide.

Caelum grinned immediately when he saw him, and Delmar scoffed. He knew they were friends, but he didn't know they had been dating. Caelum didn't know how the man would react to that, and he wasn't keen on finding out, not unless he had a back-up plan.

Peter ordered his food, Ezekiel was running sandwiches while Caelum stocked the store. Peter and Delmar went back and forth for a bit before the boy came to him, "See anything yet?" He whispered, and Caelum shook his head.

"Nothing," he had even possessed a man while he was walking down the street just to check ― and had nearly fainted as a result. Whatever the man had done to him, he was still dealing with the consequences, two hours later. "I don't think he's coming, to be honest."

"I still don't think you should've came in, if that man was threatening you," Peter murmured and Caelum shook his head. "What if he comes here, and. . . and something _happens_?"

"Delmar _and_ Ezekiel will be here, and _you're_ walking me home." Caelum gently reminded him. Peter frowned, but couldn't argue with him. "Unless you plan on _letting me_ get kidnapped?"

"Don't say that," Peter scoffed, still worried and Caelum smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I'll be fine, _go_. I'm sure there's some kitten stuck in a tree waiting for you." Peter huffed, smiling, and Caelum nudged his arm away. "I'll text when I get off."

"Please do, and don't leave until I get back," Peter said and Caelum rolled his eyes.

"Just go, I got it." Peter smiled and grabbed his food, thanking Delmar and waving goodbye to Ezekiel before running off to catch Spider-Man, the bell overhead jingling behind him.

 **° · ° · ° · °**

The rest of the day had gone by without any disfigured men making advances on him. Caelum never left the store, not even to take out the trash, and stayed within sight or calling distance of Delmar and Ezekiel. Delmar somehow sensed the higher tension with him and eventually asked him about it when the store's traffic had died down.

Caelum was wiping down the cutting board when Delmar approached him. Ezekiel was out back, probably smoking. "Hey, is everythin' alright, kid?" Caelum rose an eyebrow, pausing.

"Pardon me?"

Delmar blew a bit of air out of his nose, his fingers twitching against the faux wood counter. Caelum knew the man as a nervous smoker and had recently been trying to quit because of his daughter. The ticks he did as a result of it always caught his eye. "You look a bit on edge lately, is somethin's goin' on? You sure you ain't in trouble?"

Caelum was a bit surprised by the man's perceptiveness, but eventually answered his question. "I'm sorry for worrying you. There's. . . a man approached me yesterday and he looked a bit suspicious. Peter's walking me home tonight just in case."

Delmar raised an eyebrow, "Have you reported him to the police?"

"No, he hasn't done anything that _should_ require legal action." And, he wasn't comfortable around policemen for _obvious_ _reasons_. "But, we're taking precautions, just in case."

"You gonna be okay?" Caelum was a bit touched by the man's worries, and smiled at him.

"Yes sir, we should be alright."

"If you need to stay longer and wait for Pete, you're more than welcome to do so," Delmar reminded, going to the register, probably counting the money for the afternoon.

"I would actually appreciate that, if you don't mind," Caelum gave a small laugh and Delmar nodded. Just then, the door rang and Caelum looked up, "Do you want me to call Ezekiel back in?" He asked and Delmar gave a nod.

"Please. I'm gonna lock the door in a few minutes, if you don't mind sweepin' the office while I count the cash, that would be great."

Caelum nodded, put the cleaning materials away and walked to the back door inside the office. He grabbed the broom as he moved to open the slightly cracked metal door, "Hey, Mr. Ezekiel, Delmar said― _AH_!" He stumbled back, dropping the broom, when he saw Ezekiel standing by the door, staring down at him, his eyes were vacant and distant, but had cleared up as soon as they came into focus.

Caelum moved back immediately, a hand over his chest and his burned eye beginning to sting in pain. Ezekiel moved into the office, walking by him as if he didn't see him at all. He shut the door to the office, just as the door leading to the back closed as well.

Caelum stared at the empty place, trying to calm his erratic breathing. He could hear Ezekiel and Mr. Delmar talking on the main floor for several minutes. He heard the keys jangle as Delmar locked the front door and turning off the neon open sign.

Caelum let out a short sigh, rubbing his face and picking his phone out of his pocket. He had a text from Peter.

 **Peter P 3:**  
 _im across the street at the bank but i might be a bit late so_ _dont_ _go anywhere_

 **Caelum F:**  
 _I'll stay here. Delmar said I can stay at the shop until you show._

Peter didn't reply to his text, probably dealing with whatever was happening at the bank. He began to sweep the back room, which wasn't much to do since there wasn't much are to clean in the first place, and Caelum had been tired and ready to go home. He grabbed his backpack, setting it at the door, as he finished up, dumping the last of the trash in the small bin, and then tying it so it could be taken out with the rest of the trash for the night. He vaguely wondered if Delmar had started the mop water yet as he grabbed his bag, going for the door.

It was _locked_. Caelum stared at it, confused as he tried it again, but nothing happened. He knocked on the door, " _Delmar_? The door is locked, can you―?"

A loud boom rocked the room, the door blasting off its hinges, and throwing him back. Caelum flew, hitting the stone wall, his eyes slamming closed.

 **° · ° · ° · °**

When Caelum opened his eyes again, there was a sharp buzzing in his ears and his head throbbed. He felt something wet and warm on his head, he touched it and it was sticky and thick ― _blood_. His eye began to burn in pain, as if it were on fire again.

No. . . not just his eye. . . _everything_ was burning, swelteringly hot. He coughed, trying to sit up, gripping his bleeding skull in his hand, using the other to steady himself. It was as if he had touched a burning stove, because he immediately drew his hand back, his skin blistering. He hissed in pain, shaking his burned hand.

Caelum tried to look around, coughing desperately. The door to the office laid on top of him, but the entrance leading out was partially covered in rubble. The room was full of smoke and was so _hot_.

Caelum coughed again, pushing the heavy door off of him. He managed to wiggle his foot and keep it from getting stuck in the wreckage. He crawled away, trying to stand and get out. His body was trembling and he covered his face with his singed hand. The buzzing in his ears wasn't helping his disoriented situation.

He tried to call for help, but his voice was choked out by the smoke. He bent over, coughing terribly. He heard noise ― besides the buzzing ― was someone _calling_ him?

Caelum swallowed, and regretted it immediately because dust and ash went down his throat. He wheezed, trying to take a step, but his foot slipped, his hands falling forward and landing on what had to be glass and splinters of wood. He cried out, holding his hands to his chest, as his face barely inches from an open flame.

He felt his father's hand on his throat, pushing him farther into the flames, ignoring his wails of pain as he screamed into his ear. " _Fucking faggot!_ "

Caelum trembled, scrambling away from the burning element. He felt a panic attack swelling inside him as memories approached the forefront of his mind. _No, no, no_ , not _now_ , he was going to _die_.

He heard more noise, the buzzing slowly beginning to clear, " _Hey_ _! Get back here_!" Caelum coughed, trying not to breathe in the smoke despite the fact that he had begun to hyperventilate. His hand shook as he closed,l his eyes. He had to stand back up. He _had_ to get out. The longer he stayed trapped here, he faster he would die. _Smoke inhalation_ ― that was _very_ bad.

His eyes were watering from the flames, heat, and smoke and he made his way to the door again, he tried to claw towards the partial opening, prying his way out of the toxic environment. " _Help_!" He cried, his ears clearing and he slowly heard voices reply.

". . . _Cael_ _!?_ _Hold on! I'm coming_!" He kept clawing, coughing and beginning to sob. He couldn't breathe. He could feel the flames getting closer, quickly eating at all the oxygen in the room.

He felt the rubble blocking the exit grow wider as someone moved heavier chunks away. His teary eyes caught sight of Peter's masked face, the eyes of his mask narrowed in determination. "Hold on, Cael, _please_ ," Caelum shakily nodded, trying to help even though his hands just got cut on the jagged edges of glass and stone.

Finally, Peter stretched his hands through, grabbing Caelum's arms and pulling him out. He groaned as he moved, his body sore from getting slammed by the door, but he eventually climbed out.

Peter helped Caelum stumble out, he was limping and he coughed, smoke tainting his airways. The entire main floor turned to dust and ashes. Outside, bright, strobe lights shone through the shattered window spaces.

A fireman quickly came, taking him from Peter's hands and Caelum nearly fell limp, choking on his lack of fresh air, despite him being brought outside. He was put on a stretcher, and a mask was placed over his face. The man pushed him down, instructing him to do something, but Caelum didn't even hear it, his eyes widened as the man pressed him into the bed and he screamed, his eyes widening and he frantically tried to move away.

Principal Davis was smiling down on him, his grimy hands tight on his shoulders as he forced him to the mattress, " _Stay still, we haven't even had any real fun yet_."

People shouted around him and he couldn't stop shaking, unable to breathe properly, " _Shock ― heart ― smoke in― calm d―_ "

Someone sat down in front of him, gently taking his hand and speaking to him. His instincts told him to pull away immediately, but something made him stop and listen to instead.

"Hey, I'm going to need you to calm down, if. . . if you don't you going to hurt yourself, and we don't want to see you in the hospital again, okay?" They laughed, a sound that sounded like a sunny day, and he calmed hesitantly. _Peter_? "Breathe deep breaths, alright? They're not going to hurt you ― Davis is gone now and we can get through this. _Breathe_. . ."

Caelum slowly listened to him, breathing in and out slowly and at a steady pace. "Good. . . good. . . keep going. . ."

Caelum sat, breathing for what felt like it had to be hours, slowly becoming more aware of what was going on, remembering that Davis was in prison and that he couldn't be here anymore. Eventually, the stranger, Spider-Man, had to leave, and about ten minutes later, Peter showed up, out of breath and worried sick.

Peter spoke with the paramedic for several minutes. At this point, Caelum knew at least an hour had passed since the explosion, and he knew ' _Spider-Man_ ' had a hand in it. The criminals had been apprehended, but the Deli was beyond saving.

Caelum nursed a headache, but successfully had help getting the oxygen mask taken off. He was feeling a bit better now, if not left with a bad cough. Peter came to him immediately, sans suit, and wrapped his arms around Caelum.

"I thought you were _dead_ ," he whispered. "How are you feeling? Is anything else―Is anything hurting? Did you break anything?"

"I'm fine," Caelum croaked, taking a sip from a water bottle the paramedic had provided. They were beginning to wrap up now that everyone was okay. The police had been contacted in order to take the criminals away and record witness accounts. Nosy neighbours and local news stations had appeared, wanting to know what happened and who was responsible. Most of them had spoken to Delmar and a few had tried to speak to him, but they had been immediately waved away.

"Can you walk?" Peter continued, pulling out a surprisingly untouched phone. "May's probably going to be worried sick."

Caelum nodded, rubbing his nose and Peter led him away. The crowd respectfully parted, a few cameras trained on their backsides as they made their way home. Caelum paid no attention to those desperate enough to catch a few teenagers for a good headline, but as his eyes lazily scanned the crowds, he spotted a familiar face.

A masked man with white eyes, watching him carefully, as if happy or pleased. Caelum stumbled, but Peter helped him, "You okay?"

" _He―He's―!_ " Caelum rasped, trying to find the face again, but it was gone now. Caelum felt suffocated again, wanting to turn around and find the man, but at the same time, _knowing_ he needed to get home.

Peter walked him home as fast as he could, grabbed a half-zipped backpack from an alleyway before went to the apartment door, slipping in his key.

"I saw him," Caelum whispered as Peter opened the screen up. He fumbled, the keys nearly falling out his hands.

" _What_? When?"

"In the crowd, at the bodega. He was there," Caelum couldn't stop thinking about it. The man had just been staring at him, how long had he been there? Did he cause the explosion?

"I didn't see him when I went in," Peter said and swung the door open. Caelum stumbled inside after him, wondering how May would react to seeing him covered in ash and sounding like an aged smoker.

They opted for the elevator and rode it to their apartment in a comfortable silence. Caelum leaned his head back, breathing deeply against the cold metal wall of the shady machine, hoping it didn't get stuck. He tried to rehearse what he would say to May, but nothing sounded right. He hoped that she wouldn't freak out, even though he knew she would. She didn't watch the news too much, so it's likely she hadn't heard what had happened yet.

The doors opened, Caelum and Peter walked out. Peter's bag was half-closed and a bit of red fabric peeked from it. Caelum didn't get the chance to warn Peter about it, he had already opened the door and helped Caelum to the couch.

He heard the stovetop sizzling in the kitchen. " _Finally_ , you two are back! I've been calling your phone for _hours_ , why haven't you answered? What were you going, where have you been?"

May stepped into the room and her brown eyes went wide in shock. " _Wha_ ―?! What happened!" She ran over, swiping a bit of loose hair behind her ear as she came to Caelum's side.

"I'm _fine_ ," he insisted, "There was an accident at work, Delmar's place. . . uh, caught fire. I've already been checked by a paramedic, no major injuries, just a minor concussion and a few scratches. I'll live."

"Why didn't you _call_ me?!" She snapped, glaring at him and at Peter.

"I lost my phone and Peter was too busy helping me get back. Really, I'm fine, Ms. May, there's no need to worry."

May looked a bit flustered, still shocked by the situation, but managed to calm down a little. "I'm going to go put my bag down," Peter said, and left the room for a moment.

"How did this happen? Where was Delmar?" May asked after cooling down significantly.

"He was there, but he's fine now. There weren't any casualties." Caelum thought vaguely about Ezekiel and the locked door, but he didn't mention it to May. There was no need to make her even more worried than she was.

May sighed, rubbing her face, "Well, in that case, do you need anything? I can hear how the smoke affected your throat. I can make some tea or soup."

Caelum relaxed at the thought of drinking green tea again, "That would be wonderful, thank you, Ms. May." May moved over and hugged him tight. Caelum stiffened, staring at the floor. He _still_ wasn't used to being hugged all the time, even when it wasn't in pity. He couldn't stand being touched and although he knew the motion was out of affection for him, he still was put off by it.

Sensing his slight discomfort, May pulled away, but smiled anyway. She had been trying to get him to smile and be more open. Caelum knew she wanted him to see a therapist for his issues but Caelum was not ready for it at _all_. He had too many bad experiences being trapped in a room with a stranger and wasn't keen on making another. Besides that, there was also the issue of money, which wasn't something they were rich in either. Therapists weren't cheap, and although May meant well, they both knew she didn't have the funds to pay for therapy, so Caelum was better off keeping his issues to himself, or finding some other outlet.

May went to the kitchen and Caelum slowly stood, making his way to Peter's room, He gently opened the door, finding Peter and Ned sitting on the bed, staring at him. In Ned's hands, were the unmistakable Spider-Man suit.

" _Shit_ ," Caelum deadpanned, quickly closing the door to keep May from hearing.

"You knew too!?" Ned hissed, angrily and almost upset.

"I'm his _boyfriend_ ," Caelum frowned.

"I'm his _best friend_!"

"I _live_ with him, it would've been harder to keep it from me," Caelum moved, sitting down near the corner on the floor, rubbing his face. God, it's been a long day. He was ready to crash.

"I didn't mean anything by it, Ned," Peter insisted, but Ned still seemed a bit hurt. "I didn't even mean for Caelum to find out, it was just that, well, things happened and I found out about his possession, and it was only fair to―"

" _Possession_!?" Ned practically screeched, his small almond eyes almost going to the sides of bottle caps. Caelum swore again, rubbing his face, and Ned noticed. "No, no, don't tell me! You can. . . you can _possess people_!?"

" _Please_ , keep it down," Caelum whispered, nursing a headache probably from the smoke inhalation.

"Wait, so am I the first to, like, _know_?" Ned asked. "Besides you, Cael."

"Yeah, I guess. You and Mr. Stark," Peter replied. "But, Mr. Stark doesn't know Cael can possess people, though."

"Can I see?" Ned asked, looking at Caelum.

"I'm _tired_ ," he bemoaned, he hadn't possessed anyone in front of Peter in a long while, he didn't know how Peter would react to. . . his recent condition. He didn't want him to be worried.

" _Please_!" Ned begged, but Caelum shook his head.

"Next time, I promise."

Ned gave a small pout, but since he didn't know there would never be a ' _next time_ ' he continued his questions. "When did you know? Have you always had this power? Are you a superhero too?"

Caelum frowned, "Parker and I got our powers on the same weekend. Acid tried to take my eyes out and I think he was bitten by a spider, or _swallowed_ it, or whatever." Peter rolled his eyes at the tease, and Caelum continued. "I'm not a superhero, I don't run with the whole ' _vigilante_ ' thing, sorry."

"Why not?" Ned insisted, " _Du_ _-_ _ude_ , if I had your powers―"

"My power isn't like Peter's," Caelum frowned. "I can't go around and help people like he can, and frankly, I don't have time to be doing it either. Besides, if the news saw that some kid from Queens was possessing people left and right, people would lose their shit." Ned thought about this for a minute before ultimately agreeing.

"It would be so cool though," He whined a little, "The team-up would be _awesome_! Spider-Man and you, Caelum, fighting some big bad guy!" If they were in a cartoon, Ned would have stars in his eyes. "You would be _unbeatable_."

"Ned, this _isn't_ a comic book," Caelum frowned, "This is _serious_." He didn't feel like getting into the nuances of how his power could actually _kill_ people, if he wanted to.

Luckily, he didn't have to. Caelum jumped when the sharp beeping of the fire detector began to ring its alarm through the small home. A few seconds later, the door opened and slightly flustered, but smiling May stepped through.

" _Whew_! That turkey meatloaf recipe was a _disaster_!" She smiled and pulled her hair back. "Let's go to dinner, _Thai_? Ned, you want _Thai_?"

" _Yes_ ," Ned smiled just as Caelum and Peter said, " _No_."

Ned was notorious for not being able to keep secrets, and if this came out to May, over a bowl of cheap Thai food. . . well, it wasn't ideal in the _slightest_.

Peter glanced at Ned, giving him an obvious look, "He's got a thing."

Ned nodded, now frowning and begrudgingly agreeing with Peter. "A. . . _thing_ to do _after_. . .?" From the look Peter gave his friend, he would not be doing his ' _thing_ ' after Thai.

"I'll stay here," Caelum spoke up from the corner, and gave a smile, "I have work to finish."

"Are you sure?" May asked and he gave a nod, he was tired and wasn't feeling up to eating out, especially after the explosion. His nerves were fried and he was about ready to drop. "Okay, well, Peter put on some warmer clothes, it's cold outside. I'll be waiting in the kitchen." She closed the door again and Peter rounded on Ned.

"May _doesn't_ know," Peter said.

"Why didn't you tell _her_?" Ned asked, confused, "You told _Cael_."

"You know what she's like," Peter frowned, biting his lip and scrunching up his nose. He was getting that worried look, which was adorable, but Caelum didn't like it when Peter was stressed out. It, by association, stressed _him_ out. "If she finds out people try and kill me every night, she's not gonna let me do this anymore. Come on, Ned, _please_?"

Ned looked at Caelum who shrugged, rubbing his temple. "It's no use arguing with him, he's not going to tell, I've already tried."

" _Okay_ ," Ned said, a bit unhappily. "I'll level with you. It's just. . . it's that, I don't think I can keep _this_ a secret. This is the _greatest_ _thing_ to have ever happened to me!"

"Ned, May _cannot_ know," Peter pressed, and Caelum had to agree, it was one of the main reason why he hadn't said anything yet either. Between the adoption, life in general, _and_ working to support two more people along with _herself_ , she was a sweet lady. He didn't want anything bad happening to her. "I _cannot_ do that to her right now. You know? I mean, _everything_ that's happened with her, I. . . _please_. . ."

" _Okay_ ," Ned breathed.

"Swear it," Peter urged.

"I swear."

"Thank you," Peter breathed a sigh of relief, and moved to sit down in his chair, absolutely exhausted. "I can't _believe_ this is happening now."

"Can I try the suit on?" Ned asked and Peter deadpanned.

" _No_."

"How does it work?" He continued, not even fazed, as he grabbed his backpack preparing to leave, "Is it _magnets_? How do you shoot the strings―?"

"I'm going to tell you about this at school tomorrow, okay?" Peter assured.

" _Great_. Okay," He put his hand on the door, but stopped, "Well, wait, then. How do you do this _and_ the Stark Internship?"

"This _is_ the Stark Internship," Peter said and Ned's mouth formed an ' _o_ ', a dozen more questions burning in his eyes. "Just get out of here."

Caelum chuckled as Ned left the room, waving goodbye. Peter let out a short sigh, laying down on the ground next to him. "What are we going to do now?" Caelum asked, curiously. He would have to go job searching again, and very soon by the looks of it.

" _Live_ ," Peter replied and he scoffed. "The explosion, at the bodega, it was caused by these _huge_ guns. Cael, it's nothing like I've ever seen."

"Did you ask Mr. Stark about it?" Peter frowned.

"I _can't_ , like, ask him _directly_ ," He explained. "I've been texting Happy, but it's like, he hasn't responded back to much of anything that I send him. I tried to call him, but all I could do was leave voicemails."

Caelum narrowed his eyes, was Tony Stark really as much of a _douchebag_ that the media made him out to be? He was beginning to think otherwise after the fiasco with his father, but now. . . he wasn't sure what to believe.

"Keep trying. You said the guy _really_ seemed to like you, and if it's serious, then he'll have to get involved _eventually_. I mean, if the gun managed to blow up a whole _street corner_ of a building, and that was what a few _thugs_ had, what _else_ can they do?" The idea was unsettling, but it was the truth. If these guns were out and about and bad guys at Peter's level had access to them, what did the people at Stark's level have access to? And how did they decide to use it?

Caelum frowned, thinking about the night again, and the dead look in Ezekiel's face and how the door had been locked. Then, he thought about the man with white eyes who completely destroyed him in one look. He vaguely wondered if he had anything to do with these guns, and what his motives were.

The world was getting weirder by the day, and Caelum did not want to see where it lead them.


End file.
